#Sona2018 will see bright, bold prints

DESIGN BEST: Ephymol will dress Mandla Mandela for this year's Sona 2018. Picture: Karen Sandison/ANA

DESIGN BEST: Ephymol will dress Mandla Mandela for this year's Sona 2018. Picture: Karen Sandison/ANA

Published Feb 8, 2018

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There's no Sona today, but fashion pundits can’t help wondering what the guests would have been wearing if it had taken place in the Mother City.

So, instead we asked several designers about the outfits we can expect to see when the Sona eventually materialises.

Who can forget the debonair Finance Minister Malusi Gigaba or the style rise of former public protector Thuli Madonsela, and of course the changing dress sense of Western Cape Premier Helen Zille?

Every year, there is someone who takes style to the next level and has everyone talking for days after the event.

Noma Gigaba’s sense of style has certainly rubbed off on her husband.

Bheki Cele’s wife Thembeka Ngcobo was a breath of fresh air at the last Sona.

But there are some people who miss the memo on the dress code altogether and manage to get it horribly wrong on the occasion.

Mandla Mandela rocks, regardless of which wife he has next to him.

He will be dressed by Ephymol this year. “We are making something for him. He will have be wearing a heavily beaded skirt and monarch jacket. He has been flying in for measurements and checking some of the handmade extras we are doing for him.

“He is going to look great,” said Ephraim Molingoana, the designer of the Ephymol brand.

Molingoana said that although it had been a tense time with the postponement of the Sona, many people were still looking forward to it.

Gert-Johan Coetzee prepares couture outfits for #Sona2018 red carpet

“People are looking at what is going on globally, with the red carpets also being used

for protests. I think that with the Sona, people will be looking at going more tribal and cultural, and flaunting those looks.”

He expected the younger MPs to look more suave. “They will go for tailor-made looks and trendy dresses or flowing gowns. Over the years, we have seen more MPs improve in the fashion and style stakes.

“Madam Speaker has upped her game. Thuli Madonsela gave us the yellow dress and even Helen Zille surprised us. The undertone is definitely to show off, and they are doing that by hiring young designers to bring it on.

“We will definitely see the ministers in competition checking out who wore which suit best.”

Molingoana said he hoped the women would stay away from shiny dresses.

“It’s an afternoon event so they must stay away from the satins and avoid looking shiny.

“There will be a lot of colour, as no one ever sticks to the same monochromes.”

AFRICAN PRIDE: Phiwase Nxumalo says prints will be big on the red carpet this year. Picture: Supplied

The House of Diva designer Phiwase Nxumalo won’t be dressing anyone at this year’s Sona, but said the trend to look out for would definitely be print.

“You’ll see a lot of African print. A lot of head wraps dominating in all their glory and full-bottom dresses and garments.

“We can definitely bank on that. Accessories and bright beads will also be on trend,” Nxumalo said.

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